Wiretap: Another mass shooting leaves us mourning the dead and asking how it could happen

No one seems to understand why a 64-year-old man with no criminal history and, according to his brother, with no history of gun violence, brought more than 10 rifles to a hotel room overlooking a country-music concert with 22,000 people attending. He killed at least 58 of them, wounded more than 400 and then killed himself. The shooter was named Stephen Paddock. At this point, there’s no known motive. Via The New York Times.

Why does Donald Trump take on the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico during a crisis or undercut his Secretary of State on North Korea or turn the mostly muted NFL protests into a national flashpoint? Peter Baker writes in The New York Times that Trump thinks each battle makes him look strong. And that by looking strong, that means he’s winning.

For those who wondered what would happen when a real crisis hit the White House, we now have the Puerto Rico disaster story as a model. As Trump was distracted by his Twitter war with the NFL, the situation in Puerto Rico, which is surrounded by a very big ocean, turned from tragedy to catastrophe. Via Vox.

Is the mayor of San Juan the weak leader that Trump claims her to be? Or is Carmen Yulin Cruz simply determined to risk Trump’s anger by pushing him for more help? The Washington Post takes a close look.

We’re all used to Trump’s Little Rocket Man insult. And we can hardly be surprised when Trump sabotages his own secretary of state’s attempt to find a diplomatic answer to the North Korea nuclear problem. But the question is, does Kim Jong Un see Trump’s bluster for what it is? Via The New Yorker.

We’ve taken a close look at what the NFL players do during the National Anthem. It’s time to turn the camera toward the stands and see what the fans are doing. Via The New York Times.

From one NFL player who is among the protesters: Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins writes in The Washington Post what he wants to do next. And it is much more than taking a knee.

Trump’s tax-cut plan is still skimpy on details, but there are enough to prove at least one thing: The president is a trickle-down proponent and not anything like a populist. Via Financial Times.

Kevin D. Williamson writes in The National Review that Trump’s tax plan might be the height of irresponsibility, but conservatives agree that it’s good in at least one respect: Raising taxes on blue-state liberals.

Some final words on now-former Health Secretary Tom Price via The New Republic: He was too incompetent and too corrupt even for the Trump administration.

Steve Scalise appears on 60 Minutes to tell of the day he was shot and nearly killed: “Don’t let me bleed out on his field.” Via The Washington Post.

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